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MECENAS: Patronage of the Arts [v. 0.2.1]

Originally posted by Leonardo Da Vinci:

“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than
seen.”

MECENAS: Patronage of the Arts, is a mod for Europa Universalis IV that introduces a new mechanic allowing players to invest in and collect pieces of fine art. This innovative feature enhances the cultural and economic aspects of the game by simulating the historical practice of aristocratic and royal patronage during the Renaissance and beyond.

In this mod, players can participate in the vibrant art market of the time by commissioning famous artists to create masterpieces, such as paintings, sculptures, and pieces of literature. Each artwork is unique and comes with its own bespoke description, a high quality render of that piece of art, its historical significance, and cultural value.

To engage in patronage, players must allocate resources and funds towards supporting artists and their creative endeavors. These resources can vary in size, ranging from 50 ducats for a lower tier work of art to upwards of 7.500 ducats for a masterpiece by renowned artists as Leonardo Da Vinci or Caravaggio. As part of update 0.2.1, dynamic pricing has been added. This will realistically affect the prices of artworks based on the state of your economy!

Another goal of this mod is to provide longevity to the game, as the late game is known for its repetitiveness. You will not be able to invest in certain art until you reach a point in-game, such as not being able to invest in the Baroque art until 1590. Eventually I'll add content up to early romanticism, colliding with the in-game end date of 1821.
It currently features 40+ Artists and 150+ commissionable custom pieces of fine art, featuring over 400 custom events

It currently features 6 cultural eras:

• Ancient Art (500B.C. -300A.D) [WIP]
  
  
• Medieval Art (1200-1444) [WIP]
  
  
• Early Renaissance Art (1444-1500)
  
  
• Renaissance Art (1500-1550)
  
  
• Mannerist Art (1550-1590)
  
  
• Early Baroque Art (1590-1650)

Jan Van Eyck, Rogier Van Der Weyden, Dirk Bouts, Antonello Da Messina, Sandro Botticelli, Leon Battista Alberti, Piero Della Francesca, Jacomart, Jean Fouquet, Dionisiy The Wise, Hiëronymus Bosch, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Albrecht Dürer, Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphaël, Michelangelo, Jean Clouet, Matracki Nasuh, Stanislaw Samostrzelnik, Titian, Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, El Greco, Joachim Wtewael, Lucas Cranach The Elder, Peter Paul Rubens, Frans Hals, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, Gian-Lorenzo Bernini, and many more!

All artists have at least 3 unique pieces of art.

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How does it work?

1. Go to your decisions tab and click on the 'Invest in the Arts' of the current period. Note that you need to match the prerequisits.
   
2. Select the area of where you want to invest in. Think of Netherlandish or Italian masters, or from somewhere else (Ottoman Empire, Poland, Muscovy, France,...)
   
3. Choose the artist
   
4. Choose the piece of art
   
5. Wait between 180 and 720 days. Creating a masterpiece takes time! This doesn't count when you're buying art from recently deceased artists like Jan Van Eyck.
   
6. A detailed description of your recently acquired piece of art should pop up after a certain time. You can also choose to enlarge the painting, this will pop up both the description and the enlarged picture after 2 days.
   
7. You have now acquired this piece of art and you can view it in your decisions tab again whenever you want. It should be bronze-coloured.

What else to expect?

• More artists to saturate each time period even more. Think of Robert Campin, Hans Memling, Hugo van der Goes, Giovanni Bellini, Giorgio Vasari, Watteau, De Goya, Jacques-Louis David, J.A.D. Ingres, Angelica Kauffman, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun; and many many more!
  
• More consecutive time-periods. Currently thinking of adding Baroque (1650-1690), Rococo (1690-1750), Neoclassicism (1750-1790), and Early Romanticism (1790-1821)
  
• Non-Western-European coverage; I've consciously chosen a focus on Western European Art as I'm currently studying Art Sciences in University. As I do more research on Non-Western-European Art, I hope to eventually include Middle-Eastern Art, Slavic Art, Indian Art, North African Art, Sub-Saharan African Art, Chinese Art, and Japanese Art. Expect more updates along the way.
  
• Integration with The Great Exhibition. As I've neatly stored all images in seperate folder, resizing them to fit with The Great Exhibition should not be too difficult. Expect a compatibility mod soon!
  
• Expanded Mechanics; While the mod is primitive in it's current form, expect more mechanics as I gain more experience modding.

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F.A.Q

What DLC do I need for this to work?
I actually don't think you need any DLC. I'm not sure so feel free to correct me.

Is this compatible with other mods?
It should be compatible with other mods. It's not compatible with mods that change the event window frame like The Great Exhibition, but there should be a compatibility mod in the near future. As long as the mod doesn't change the event window frame, it should be compatible.

I have issues with seeing the event windows.
Preferably, you should play on fullscreen 1920x1080 or above. Please let me know if you have issues.

Will this mod be updated in the future?
Yes, absolutely. This is only 0.0.1 of the mod. Expect monthly updates if not more regularly.

Who created this mod?
robski. It's my first mod.

Who is your favourite artist?
Always had a lot of respect for Caravaggio. His command of colour and lighting is impeccable.

Are any paintings and pictures/scans trademarked?
No, all paintings, pictures, and scans are public domain.

I have another question.
Feel free to ask me in the comments!

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Many thanks to;

My brother Dennis: for helping me tremendously during the development of the mod.
The EU4 Mod Coop Discord: for helping me whenever I had questions regarding mods
My Professor of Western European Art before 1600, and Professor of Western European Art (1600-1860); for inspiring me to research more about Western European Art, and to try incorporate fine art with Europa Universalis IV.
My Professor Data-Processing; for introducing me to coding!